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GMS academic teams capture two state titles
Greencastle Middle School has earned two state championships and a pair of state runner-up spots in the recent 2019 Junior Indiana Academic Super Bowl.
GMS teams captured Class 3 state titles in math and science, while earning runner-up in both English and interdisciplinary competition.
Putnam County earned another runner-up spot with North Putnam Middle School taking second to GMS in the science competition.
Social studies was the only discipline in which a Putnam County school did not earn the first- or second-place spot.
South Putnam and Cloverdale, meanwhile, each earned a top-10 ranking with South Putnam finishing seventh in math competition and Cloverdale taking eighth in science in Class 3.
Area competition for the Putnam County schools was conducted at Sarah Scott Middle School in Terre Haute.
The Junior Super Bowl is conducted in similar fashion to the Senior Academic Super Bowl with the exception that junior area scores are compared statewide to determine state results. In the senior competition, those scores are compared to determine state finalists, who then advance to the finals at Purdue University (held this Saturday).
“I think this is the best we’ve done as a school,” coach Stacie Stoffregen said. “It was the our most well-rounded result with each subject area in high standing.”
Stoffregen also gave a ”shout out” to North Putnam Middle School, noting that she was in email contact with NPMS coach Randy Funk as the state status was eagerly awaited.
“He congratulated us and said, ‘Putnam County represents,’” Stoffregen added.
While many of the academic Super Bowl competitions, both junior and senior levels, are often decided by tie-breakers, Greencastle’s two titles were undisputed with GMS posting two- and three-question margins of victory.
The GMS Math Team, coached by Jane Roberson, captured its state title by providing 22 correct answers out of 25 questions. Next best was Bremen Elementary at 19 right answers.
Members of the GMS Math Team are Captain Hunter Miller, Isaac Hertenstein, Ty Ishikawa, Mason Howard, Madison Fowler, Charlie Menzel and alternates Hannah Seaman and Sabina Seaman.
Greencastle and North Putnam finished one-two in Class 3 Science. GMS got 23 of the 25 answers right for the 2019 title, while North took state runner-up honors with 21 correct responses and by prevailing in the tie-breaker over Adams Central and South Knox middle schools.
Members of the champion GMS Science Team, coached by Stoffregen, are Captain Hunter Miller, Katrina Schwab, Aleyce Green, Isaac Hertenstein and Rebecca Hebb with Bella Green and Charlie Menzel as alternates.
Members of the NPMS Science Team, coached by Funk, are Kaleb Danikow, Tucker Elmore, Ruby Sullivan and Thomas Nelson.
“The team this year was one of the most motivated teams I have ever coached,” North Putnam’s Funk said. “They worked together very well developing their own study materials.
“They are really interested in science, and it showed at the area and state levels of the competition,” Funk added. “They earned second at the area competition as well as state runner-up in the state division 3 rankings. All the praise should go to the members who worked extremely hard in preparation for the contest.” Earning the runner-up spot in English, the GMS team fell just one answer short of state champion Brownstown Central, which accumulated a score of 18 out of 25. In earning the Interdisciplinary runner-up spot, Greencastle had 17 correct responses, falling two questions shy of state champion South Knox.
Members of the GMS English team are Captain Alice Howard, Bella Green, Mya Weddle, Hannah Seaman and Rebecca Hebb with alternate Aleyce Green. The English team is coached by Cassidy Spencer.
Comprising the Interdisciplinary Team are Captain Hunter Miller, Allie Purdue, Boyd Ensley, Alice Howard, Hannah Seaman, Rebecca Hebb and Mason Howard. Coaches are Stoffregen, Courtney Smith, Cassidy Spencer and Roberson.
Just like in the Senior Super Bowl, set for this Saturday, May 4, the theme is The Fertile Crescent this year.
In Science, for example, that meant studying streams, rivers, astronomy and agriculture, Stoffregen noted.
“It was a harder theme for them to get into this year,” she noted, adding that last year students were more interested in the World War I theme.
Regardless they routinely worked three days a week after school and hours on their own in studying the material.
In 2018, GMS put four of its five academic teams squads in the top 10 of Junior Division competition with its Math Team finishing as state runner-up, despite missing just one question.